A Word or Two for This Generation on "Love"

Love: the one single word that has the extraordinary ability to either break a person into a million pieces, or mend the million pieces that have already been broken. I would dare to say that love could easily be the most powerful word/weapon ever known to mankind.

Love is, according to Websters Dictionary, "an intense affectionate concern for another person". Simple enough, right? Or maybe not.

I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of seeing very, very young couples (middle school-high school, even into adulthood) throw around the word "love" just as easily as they would tell a person what food they had for breakfast.

To me, love is an agreement, a commitment, between two people (although, it can sadly sometimes be one-sided) who could see each other as a lifelong partner. It isn't something you tell someone just because you're in a relationship with them, and it definitely shouldn't be used as an excuse to keep someone in your life. There is a country song out there with the lyrics "if I told you I loved you, would it make you wanna stay?" And to me, that's wrong.

Anyways, back to the young people. I myself am very young, and I cling to the fact that I'd like to think I understand what love is, and how powerful it is. I understand that you can't just tell anybody that you love them, and that love doesn't just happen. I've grown up watching my parents, and the love they have for each other, and that has given me a great perspective on what love is really, truly about. I understand that everyone loves in different ways, and that no two love stories are ever going to be the same. But, I also understand that what MOST of this generation portrays as love, is not love at all.

Anymore, love is simply just a word said between two people in a relationship. And honestly, it's become a word that you tell someone BEFORE the relationship even exists. All the time I see people jump from one relationship to another, and within a day, or a few hours even, they're already saying "I love you" every five seconds. It's ridiculous.

Stop wasting this precious word on just anybody. It's a very sacred feeling, not to be taken out of context to fit your needs. Love was intended to be shared between two people who were seriously considering a future together, not two people who are bound to break up in no time due to ridiculous reasons, such as: lack of sex (because most of this generation chooses lust over love, and that's extremely sad to me), anger, jealousy, etc. Love was meant for two people so connected, that they literally feel as though the other person completes them, and knows every "deep dark secret" that not another soul will ever find out, not for two people who barely know the other persons interests/hobbies. Fun fact: the heart shape that we have all drawn at some point in our life, that has basically become the universal symbol of love, was originally the silhouette of two human hearts sewn together, to become one single heart. So, if you think about it, the "heart" makes sense to be a symbol of love.

I honestly just can't even begin to express how POWERFUL love truly is. It breaks people. It mends people. It gives people hope. It destroys people's dreams. It isn't a word just anybody should be using. It isn't just a word, for that matter. It's a FEELING. A feeling so strong you feel it in the depths of your soul, and it covers your entire body in a certain warmth.

How do you know when you're in love? That I do not know. You just do. You'll know when something is real. How do you find a "perfect" love? That I also do not know. However, I do know how God explains the "perfect" love.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 says: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

I know that yes, it is easier said than done to live up to these standards of love, but I also know that if that is the guideline of love that you are using, then your love will be pure, and true.

So, to my generation I say, love wisely. Don't treat love like a word, but treat it like a deep, powerful feeling. There is someone out there. You may not find them until you're 85, and you may find them at 13, whatever the case though, get to know someone's true self, and think of those Bible verses before you tell them you love them. It could save a lot of heartache in the future.

Originality Doesn't Exist

What does it mean to be "original"? Two things: 1. Something serving as a model or basis for imitations or copies. 2. An eccentric or unusual person. That doesn't seem so bad, right? However, when society is telling someone to "be original", it is simply saying the exact opposite. When society says "be original" it means to be just like every other human being on this planet -- but not too similar or  risk being called "fake" -- or be considered "weird". It has, in fact, been stated that every single idea has already or previously been thought up by another person(s) in the world. 

"There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages." -Mark Twain

So, no, you can't tell someone to "be original", because from this time forward, original thoughts are nowhere to be found. In the first definition of "original" (serving as a model or basis for imitations or copies), it is clear what society is trying to do. It preaches to "be original", but only if your originality is the norm of the population. "Don't become fat, but always be original." "Don't become anorexic, but don't forget to be original." "Don't be an outstanding scholar, because that means you're fake." "Don't fail your classes, because that, too, is fake."

NOTHING WILL EVER BE ORIGINAL AGAIN. At least not if you are going by what society thinks. However, if you go by the second definition, there is still a chance for originality to exist.

So, what I'm saying, is to be yourself. Society will throw a fit, but if everyone were themselves, would the high standards of society even be a thing anymore? Eat whatever you want, say whatever you want, and dress however you want. BE. YOU. There isn't a better time to be the person you were meant to be than now. Nobody can be you for you, so you might as well grasp it and be you yourself.

Dr. Seuss said it well when he said: "Why fit in when you were born to stand out", and "Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive that is you-er than you!".